Kyle Woolven
The Bay of Quinte's Comedian Who Cares
Belleville’s Kyle Woolven is our resident comedian. You may know him as Kyle for Mayor. His viral DIY videos are putting Belleville on the map, and now his local satire has an even bigger platform: a 4-part series on Bell Fibe TV1. Belleville Yardsale, Woolven’s first TV series, follows the making of Kyle’s world’s biggest yard sale. His comedic style features catchy, original tunes and is often described as deadpan. While he regularly pokes fun at his hometown, he has a lot of love for his community. “This is my home, I view Belleville as a parent, so it’s like making fun of your own family. I feel like it’s a celebration of the city.”
It’s comedy with heart, and it’s even giving back to the community; Kyle’s yard sale raised $5k for the United Way. “I genuinely care about people’s wellbeing, and I like using humour to improve people’s lives. Whether that’s through raising money or simply putting a smile on people’s faces. This is how I can do my version of good…just by making people laugh.”
Written by Allison Nichol Longtin
Read time: 5 min
Kyle’s a comedian who wears many hats…in fact, he wears almost all of them simultaneously. Kyle has an entrepreneurial spirit. He didn’t simply wait for opportunities to come to his hometown; he created them. “It’s given me an edge. It started more out of a need. I’m literally the only comedian in Belleville. In the comedy world, that’s not a good thing. If you’re going to try to make a career out of comedy, you need to be where the comedy is. I spent too many years trying to bring in other people and then realized I was going about it the wrong way. I needed to build things up myself,” says Kyle. His DIY approach serves him well, “If you live in a community that doesn’t have all of the outlets you desire, you just make it happen. You build it yourself. It started selfishly, because I wanted to find work for myself, so I just started creating it. I was doing it alone, doing it for myself.”
Woolven is part of an exciting movement as the film and TV industry in our region grows. He’s in good company; Victor Cooper, local filmmaker, co-founder of Belleville-based Eighty Twenty Studio, and fellow leader in the local industry, is a collaborator of Kyle’s, working with him from behind the lens. “Working with Victor has been awesome. As an artist with a vision for a project, it’s very comforting knowing that I can rely on someone to help carry out that vision. He’s a true professional. He’s so experienced behind the camera and as a director that it makes him very easy to work with,” says Kyle. The pair worked together on Woolven’s Kyle For Mayor web series and Belleville Yardsale, “[Victor’s] so experienced and has such a good feel for my comedy style that he’s able to make suggestions or use his own instincts to get the most out of the scene…He always brings positive energy and enthusiasm, which really goes a long way in making others feel comfortable on camera. As a socially awkward introvert, I’m grateful to have him.”
With the momentum behind the Bay of Quinte’s film and TV industry, Kyle may not be the only one doing comedy in Belleville for much longer. He’s optimistic about the future and hopes that other artists and creatives in the area embrace a can-do attitude and join the movement. “I really want other people to know that you can achieve things that you want to achieve, even in a smaller community…It just takes your action, enthusiasm, and the desire to see it happen.”
Kyle’s Belleville Yardsale is a prime example of what’s possible in a community like Belleville that supports its artists and creatives. Kyle successfully pitched a 4-part series to Bell Fibe chronicling, in real-time, his efforts to create the world’s biggest yard sale. The yard sale took place in July 2025 at nearly 500 locations in Belleville and raised $5k for the United Way Hastings and Prince Edward. The series premiered in October 2025 on Bell Fibe channel 1.
Planning the yard sale and creating the series in tandem, Kyle took on his most ambitious project to-date. He recognizes the magnitude of what he’s created with the support of his community, “To have that many people participate and then go around that day and capture this genuine feeling of positivity everywhere you went, everyone was just sort of happy that day and excited. I was brought to tears…because it felt like I did something that was actually good.”
A satirical documentary that brings real-life local stories to the screen, Belleville Yardsale took a full year to make. “It was really hard, incredibly difficult, but rewarding at the same time. I did literally every aspect of it. Victor Cooper held the camera, and I did everything else. I wrote it, directed it, edited all the footage, I did animation for it, which I taught myself how to do just for this project, and then I did all the music. It’s a lot of work and a lot of love,” says Kyle.
Although Kyle took on the lion’s share of the work, he had a little help from his friend Victor Cooper, particularly when it came to navigating the Bell Fibe system. “I pick Victor’s brain a lot. Whether asking for technical advice when doing video or sound editing, or asking something like “How can we film me falling through a table without me breaking any bones?” he’s always got an answer…There is a ton of behind-the-scenes work when it comes to pitching a series…I definitely would’ve struggled had Victor not already gone through that process himself.” Kyle credits Victor with helping him get the green light for Belleville Yardsale from Bell Fibe. “I have a lot of trust in him and am so thankful that he’s always willing to help,” says Kyle, “I’d do the same for him. I think he knows that. I don’t know if he knows that. Victor, I’d do the same for you.”
Kyle also collaborates with Katie Sherratt and Kay Joly, aka the Babes of Quinte. The trio became good friends, making short videos promoting the Belleville Yardsale, “We did some comedy shorts to help raise money for United Way HPE. We enjoy each other’s company, and I think that comes through in whatever work we do together. I think you can accomplish a lot more when you genuinely enjoy being around the people you work with. And I think that’s one of the keys to building a stronger film and TV industry in this region – more people will want to join in if they see that we really love doing this.”
What’s next for Kyle, the world’s biggest yard sale, and his other projects? He’s keeping his cards close to his chest. It’s clear that he has something big on the horizon, but doesn’t want to share too much too soon. “There’s something coming. It’s a part two, so to speak…I can’t really go into a whole lot of details, but there is something coming. I’m in the midst of working on it right now, and I think it’ll be coming out sooner than later.” For now, we’ll have to keep our eyes and ears open for Kyle’s next project.
